First Secret of Success – The Power of Desire

You’ve heard the old saying, “If success was so easy, everyone would be one.” So what does it take to be successful? In part one of this three part series, the first secret of success we’ll be exploring is Power of Desire.

I first heard of the power of “Desire” as my husband and I began reading the classic book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Chapter 2 is entitled Desire – The Starting Point of Achievement. In this chapter, Hill tells the story of Edward Barnes whose ambition was to work along side of Thomas Edison. Hill explains it this way, “Barnes’ desire was not hope. It was not a wish. It was a keen pulsating DESIRE that transcended everything else. It was DEFINITE.” In Think and Grow Rich, Hill often refers to having “a burning desire” as the first step to achieving goals and creating long-lasting success.

Dictionary.com defines desire as: a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment: an expressed wish; request.

Your “burning desire” to succeed can make the difference between wishing and hoping for something good to happen and actually achieving success.

Question: How do you discover this desire to succeed?

Answer: The first step is to learn how to consistently tap into your own personal and professional inner motivators. These are the powerful inner motivators that will feed your unstoppable desire to achieve success. So, how do you do that?

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What do I want to achieve? What goal is so compelling that you’ll do whatever is moral, legal and ethical to make it reality? The key to tapping into your “burning desire” is to know exactly what you want and then develop a clear picture of that desired outcome in your mind’s eye.

2. Why do I want to achieve this goal? What is it about this goal that will keep you so motivated that you’ll continue to go forward, even when the going gets tough. Your personal and/or professional “why” for achieving success ignites your powerful burning desire that will keep you going until you’ve achieved your desired goal.

3. Do I believe I can and will achieve this goal? I’m reminded of Mark Victor Hanson’s saying, “An ounce of doubt and you are out.” Your desire to succeed must be so strong and compelling that no one and nothing can discourage you from staying the course and achieving what you truly desire.

Please remember this, success begins with the Desire to change where you are now into something bigger, brighter and better. The more compelling your Desire, the more certain you are to stay focused on your goal and not to give up before payday.

Only you know what you truly desire. Is it time to sit down and get in touch with what you want and why you want it? The words Napoleon Hill published back in 1937 are still accurate today – if the DESIRE is strong enough, goals will become reality.